Ajay Devgn is back as Vijay Salgaonkar in Drishyam: The Conclusion, but there is one big thing fans should know before watching the film. It is not a remake of Mohanlal’s Drishyam 3. The Hindi and Malayalam franchises have now taken two separate routes. While the first two Hindi Drishyam films followed the Malayalam originals, Drishyam: The Conclusion has been written as a completely new story.
Ajay Devgn himself confirmed before the release that this is the first film in the franchise with an entirely different script. Director Abhishek Pathak has also said that the Hindi and Malayalam franchises are now moving in different directions.
So, what exactly is different between the two Drishyam 3 films? Here’s everything to know.
Is Drishyam: The Conclusion A Remake Of Mohanlal’s Drishyam 3?
No. Drishyam: The Conclusion is not a Hindi remake of Mohanlal’s Drishyam 3. This is an important departure from the first two films. The 2015 Hindi Drishyam and 2022’s Drishyam 2 were based on Jeethu Joseph’s Malayalam films starring Mohanlal.
For the third Hindi film, however, the makers chose to write a new screenplay instead of adapting the Malayalam story. Ajay Devgn described it as the first film in the franchise with a “completely different script”, stressing that it was not simply the Malayalam story with changes made for Hindi audiences.
Abhishek Pathak has similarly confirmed that the two franchises are now following different trajectories, with different stories and screenplays.
The Story Of Drishyam: The Conclusion
Drishyam: The Conclusion continues Vijay Salgaonkar’s story after the events of Drishyam 2. The old case involving Vijay’s family comes back into focus, but this time the investigation gets a new face.
Jaideep Ahlawat joins the franchise as Crime Branch officer Rajveer Singh Tomar. He becomes a major part of the new cat-and-mouse game involving Vijay. Tabu returns as Meera Deshmukh, while Shriya Saran and Rajat Kapoor also reprise their roles.
How Is Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam 3 Different From Mohanlal’s?
The biggest difference is the story itself. Both films pick up from the world created by Drishyam 2, but they do not continue with the same plot. In the Hindi film, the old case is reopened through a fresh investigation, with Rajveer Singh Tomar becoming another major threat to Vijay.
Mohanlal’s Drishyam 3, meanwhile, follows Georgekutty and his family on a different narrative path. The Malayalam film revisits the consequences of the earlier case and takes the family story forward in its own direction.
So while Vijay Salgaonkar and Georgekutty are essentially two versions of the same central character, their third-chapter journeys are not the same.
Vijay Salgaonkar Vs Georgekutty
This is where the two films can easily be confused. Ajay Devgn plays Vijay Salgaonkar in the Hindi franchise. Mohanlal plays Georgekutty in the Malayalam franchise. Both characters are ordinary family men who have previously used extraordinary planning to protect their families from a criminal investigation.
Pathak has confirmed that there will not be another Hindi Drishyam after this film. The Malayalam franchise, meanwhile, is following its own trajectory.
Why Were The First Two Drishyam Films Different?
The difference becomes clearer when you look at the history of the franchise. The original Drishyam was a Malayalam film directed by Jeethu Joseph and led by Mohanlal. The Hindi version arrived in 2015 with Ajay Devgn as Vijay Salgaonkar. The Hindi Drishyam 2 followed in 2022. Both Hindi films were based on their Malayalam counterparts.
Instead of taking Mohanlal’s Drishyam 3 and adapting it, the Hindi team developed its own story for Vijay Salgaonkar.
Do You Need To Watch Mohanlal’s Drishyam 3 Before The Conclusion?
No. If you are planning to watch Drishyam: The Conclusion, watching Mohanlal’s Drishyam 3 is not necessary to understand Ajay Devgn’s film. The more important films to watch are Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam and Drishyam 2 because The Conclusion continues Vijay Salgaonkar’s story from those films.
Watching Mohanlal’s third film can still be interesting if you want to see how the Malayalam franchise handled its own final chapter. But it should not be treated as a direct source for the plot of The Conclusion.
What Makes Drishyam: The Conclusion Different?
The simplest way to put it is this: Same franchise. Same basic characters. Same history. Different third story. Drishyam: The Conclusion retains Vijay, Nandini, Meera and the central events that shaped the Hindi films. But the screenplay, investigation and direction of the final chapter are different.
The Hindi film also brings in new players, including Jaideep Ahlawat as Rajveer Singh Tomar and Prakash Raj as lawyer Shrikant Reddy, adding a new layer to Vijay’s final battle. So if you have already watched Mohanlal’s Drishyam 3, you are not watching the same story again in Hindi.
